Progressives unity, now!

Our unity cannot wait any longer. It has delayed far too long. The Unity of all forces and persons professing to believe in the ideas and ideals as well as the vision of the founding father of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah can no longer afford to hold separatist positions, all of the same principles regarding the governance of Ghana.

Ghana's political history is a chequered one with one Republic yet four Republican Constitutions to her record. The cause of this absurdity is the unnecessary military involvement in the civilian life of the nation. Where on three different occasions, military mutineers have overthrown the Constitution and taken over the Presidential and Parliamentary privilege of the people's right.

With whatever justification, history and the evidence available have shown that the military interference have if for anything at all, worsened the plight of the Ghanaian who they sought to help, liberate, defend or redeem depending on which period the mutineers struck and what name they assumed.

The ushering in of the Fourth Republican Constitution thus provided for us an opportunity to say goodbye to the negative tendencies in civilian rule that often served as a conduit convenient for military takeovers to rely on – corruption, abuse of office, disrespect for the electorate, reneging on promises or pledges, flagrant disregard for the Constitution and the Laws of the Land etc. Yet, the two main parties that have reigned since 1993 when we ushered in the Constitution 1992, have to say the least, failed to live up to their own campaign promises.

We still have MMDCEs appointed by the Executive Authority of the President despite campaign manifesto promises to get them elected by both the NPP and NDC. The Office of the Attorney General remains in the hands of the Minister of Justice notwithstanding the obvious truism that it makes the fight against corruption a near impossibility. The work of the Auditor General remain a matter of course and business as usual. Parliament continues to operate as a rubber stamp to the Executive of the day. Our judiciary is not any way an exempt of failing to deliver on its core mandate of ensuring justice for the citizenry. We live in an entangled politico-socio-economic quagmire that operates to the benefit of the few who mostly wield Executive power or control and thus set the wheels rolling for the lethargic scenario of a non-working Government produced by an irresponsible uncivil electorate.

There have been following this gloomy picture a growing despondency and cynicism among the generality of the Ghanaian towards the political system especially the political class including parties and persons who have not held or won executive power as well as the electoral system that elects them.

Presently the NDC is a disaster in government. Their representation in Parliament who hold majority control are not any better. The NPP which comes as the next most viable alternative to reject the NDC for is in a far more crisis which is so deep seated, one wonders if their motivation is the love of country or some egoistic battle which surely cannot be settled anytime soon. Under the circumstance the best option for Ghanaians would have been a rejection of the two parties who have demonstrably failed to fix the basic challenges impeding the progress and growth of Ghana by voting the CPP front (not the CPP party per se) made up of the CPP, PNC, GCPP and PPP all sharing a certain left wing political thinking that traces roots to the founding Party of Ghana – CPP of old.

Sadly, the only hope of Ghana is in disarray, divided and fragmented. But that is where the hope is. Surely they are the only ones who aspire to drive the country outside the framework of the IMF and Britton Woods who have dictated and misled our nation into all the troubles we have suffered for the past 30years or more.

The CPP family cannot afford to deny Ghanaians the needed united front that would offer some hope to the lamenting majoring silent. We expect that the leadership of the various parties named above would bury their petty egos and forge an alliance for the sake of Ghana and in memory of the founding father of the nation.

We expect to see them work as progressives. A Progressives Convention of a Party. Opportunely it could become the renewed, refreshed and rebranded Progressives Convention Party – PCP. From the foregoing the Chairmen could immediately constitute themselves into the interim leadership with General Secretaries, Organizers, and Treasurers taking up lead roles in an agreeable manner.......

These are mere proposals which the leadership can iron out with some finesse. It is doable and possess the potential of redefining the politics of Ghana which has been done out of insincerity for the past two decades in the hands of NDC and NPP. The pretence and hypocrisy of our politics must give way for something greater and better.

This form of arrangement done at the national level could then be replicated at the Regions and Constituencies. In this enterprise no one loses everything and no one gains everything. Something must give way for something.

Can anyone imagine on a platform of the same party Dr Mahama, Dr Sakara, Dr Nduom, Dr Lartey, Prof Delle, Alhaji Ramadan, Dr Samia Nkrumah, Ivor Greenstreet, Benard Mornah, Kofi Siaw; with a solid team of other leaders like; Kwaw Ansa, Prof Akosa, Prof Afari, Prof Binka, Kwamena Benyarko, KT Dadzie, Ekow Duncan, Atik Mohammed, Henry Asante, Emmanuel Wilson, Hajia Hamdatu Haruna, Janet Nabla, Hajia Booya, Nii Armah Akomfra, Nii Armah Nkrumah, Kadri Abdul Rauf with some of the old guards like Felix Amoah, Lucy Anin, BK Senkyire, FA Jantuah et al?

The Unity of the Progressives is an imperative. We must unite now! We have nothing to lose but the shame year after year in elections, the humiliation, disrespect and suffering of our people as well as the contempt of those who engage in the politics of deception.

Today, is the most opportune and favourable for the initiation of any great movement for the betterment of our tradition and country. Let us use the Talensi by-election as a test case. Let all the leaders of the various groupings unite behind the PNC candidate who by far did better than all the other parties under consideration. Let us rally the best support behind him and storm the constituency to see if we cannot wrestle it from those who behave as though they can take the Ghanaian electorate for granted. Unity now or never!

It is only when we are united that we can go to our natural left wing allies in the struggle such as the Organized Labour, Farmers Council, Market Men and Women, Students Unions, Religious Organisations and Institutions and jointly challenge the imagination of our people to see the worthlessness of following the same old rueful path if CHANGE is what we need in 2016. CHANGE – A complete departure from the old ways of doing things and competing over failures and weaknesses instead of embracing the triumphs of high achievement. Yes! We can. We have done it before, and surely we can do it again. Let's go for victory!

There is victory for us

There is victory for us

In the name of great PCP

We shall fight and conquer all

Forward Ever, Forward Ever

In the name of great PCP

There is victory for us



James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr (aka Kabila)

The Author is CPP's Director of Election and Hopeful General Secretary.